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Covid 19 – Changes to Protocols

With the recent announcements from the Ministry of Education and Provincial Government there will be changes to the covid protocols in place on the school bus starting March 21st.  A number of existing protocols will remain in place and a summary is listed below:

• Before every trip, bus drivers and students must self-assess for any COVID-19 symptoms. All students and drivers who experience symptoms must self-isolate and stay home. If a child develops symptoms while at school, he/she will not be permitted to return home on a school bus and must be picked up by a parent/guardian or provided a safe alternate means of transportation.
•  Students will continue to be assigned seats on the bus. Students who live in the same household or who are in the same classroom cohort will be seated together.
• Enhanced cleaning for high touch surfaces (e.g. seat tops and inside hand railing) will be performed before and after each shift, as well as in between runs. Frequency of general cleaning and deep cleaning will also be increased.
• Whenever possible, windows will be opened to increase ventilation on the bus.
•  The seat behind the driver will remain vacant
•  Signage will be continued to be displayed on buses to reinforce the importance of wearing masks, staying six feet apart where possible (e.g. lining up for the bus, boarding and disembarking), and staying home when sick.

What has changed:

• Although masks are not mandatory, similar to public health protocols for public transit, we do recommend students and drivers to continue to wear masks while on the school bus to help protect themselves and those around them.
• In order to minimize possible delays, bus companies will be allowed to split and reorganize bus runs as needed.